Everything about A5 Road totally explained
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The
A5 is a major road in the
United Kingdom. It runs for about 260 miles (including sections
concurrent with other designations) from
London to
Holyhead, following in part a section of the
Roman Iter II route which later took the
Anglo-Saxon name
Watling Street.
History
The history of the A5 begins with
Thomas Telford in the early
nineteenth century. Following the
Act of Union 1800, which unified
Great Britain and
Ireland, the government saw the need for improving communication links between
London and
Dublin. A Parliamentary committee led to an
Act of Parliament of
1815 that authorised buying out existing
turnpike road interests and, where necessary, constructing a new road, to complete the route between the two capitals. This made it the first major civilian state-funded road building project in Britain since
Roman times.
Through
England, the road largely took over existing
turnpike roads, which mainly followed the route of the
Anglo-Saxon Watling Street.
From
Shrewsbury and through
Wales, Telford's work was more extensive. In places he followed existing roads, but he also built new links, including the
Menai Suspension Bridge to connect the mainland with
Anglesey and the
Stanley Embankment to
Holy Island.
Telford's road was complete with the opening of the
Menai Suspension Bridge in
1826.
Notable Features
The road was designed to allow
stagecoaches to carry post between London and Holyhead, and thence to
Ireland. Therefore throughout its length the gradient never exceeds 5%.
The route through Wales retains many of the original features of Telford's road and has, since
1995, been recognised as an historic route worthy of preservation. These features include -
- many surviving and distinctive toll houses
- 'depots' along the route, being roadside alcoves to store grit and materials
- distinctive milestones at each mile - many originals having survived and been restored, others now replaced by replicas
- distinctive gates in a 'sunburst' design, a few of which have survived
- a weighbridge at Lon Isaf, between Bangor and Bethesda
Tŷ Nant Cutting
In
1997, a section of bends on Telford's road between Tŷ Nant and Dinmael, in Wales, was by-passed by a modern cutting. However in
2006, investigations revealed that the rock face in the cutting had become unstable, and the A5 was closed from the end of May 2006 . Traffic was diverted onto the old A5 route, on a stretch known as the Glyn Bends, whilst the rock face was made safe. This involved the removal of 230,000 tonnes of rock and alluvial deposits. In July 2007, the A5 through the reconstructed cutting was reopened.
Route
Image:marble.arch.london.arp.jpg|Marble Arch, London
– start of the A5
Image:A5-llwybrhanesyddol.JPG|Sign of Thomas Telford's Historic Route
Image:Admirality arch Holyhead.jpg|Admiralty Arch, Holyhead – end of the A5
Starting at
Marble Arch in
London, the A5 runs north-west up the
Edgware Road through
Kilburn and
Cricklewood. The A5 number disappears near
Edgware, but the Roman Road continues as the
A5183 through
Elstree,
Radlett,
St Albans and
Redbourn, to junction 9 of the
M1, where it becomes the A5 again. From there on, it passes through
Dunstable,
Milton Keynes,
Towcester then accompanies the
Grand Union Canal and the
M1 Motorway through the
Watford Gap. The next phase to the
Welsh border takes it through
Hinckley, bypasses
Nuneaton,
Tamworth,
Cannock,
Telford,
Shrewsbury and
Oswestry before entering
Wales just west of
Chirk. From the English border, it continues through
Llangollen,
Corwen,
Capel Curig, and
Bangor before arriving at
Holyhead.
Alternative routes
Parts of the A5 have been replaced by sections of the
M1 north of
London, the
M54 through
Telford, the
M6, and the
M6 Toll. The
A55 route in North Wales is now the usual way to get from
Chirk to
Holyhead, avoiding the mountainous A5 route through Snowdonia and instead going via the much gentler
Cheshire Gap and along the coast.
Further Information
Get more info on 'A5 Road'.
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